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University lecturer Wang always thought her son’s name was not properly aligned with his “five elements” — wood, fire, earth, metal and water — potentially causing him trouble in later life.
To fix this, the 34-year-old would once have had to hire an expensive master of “BaZi”, or the Four Pillars of Destiny — the traditional Chinese system of fortune telling.
Today, however, there is DeepSeek, the homegrown AI model whose sympathetic use of the Chinese language has proved surprisingly adept at BaZi — a form of astrology that uses a person’s birth time and other details to determine the balance of five elements and other aspects of their destiny.
“His original name was too complicated,” Wang said. She fed DeepSeek some other potential names and eventually settled on one that the platform rated 96 points out of 100.
“My son’s old name was Zeng Jiayou, which was metal, wood and earth. Now, his name is Zeng Le’an, which is metal, fire and earth — better aligned with his fortune,” she said.
Living in Beijing, it is impossible to avoid the hype over DeepSeek. For the Chinese Communist party and its general secretary, Xi Jinping, the platform was the geopolitical equivalent of winning the lottery when it captured headlines this year.
Just as the US appeared to have stolen a lead on generative AI with chatbot ChatGPT, DeepSeek emerged claiming to have developed a Chinese option at a fraction of the cost.
But for many ordinary Chinese, it is not DeepSeek’s geopolitical significance that excites them, but its ability to help them navigate their personal lives. This is especially the case as a slow economy leads more people to seek alternative explanations for their changes in fortune.
A Beijing internet company worker who identified herself as Nabao said that DeepSeek, using BaZi, correctly described her personality (“fiery”) and predicted her fortunes at work.
The 24-year-old has grown to trust the platform so much, she spent Rmb10,000 (roughly $1,400) on a six-carat aquamarine stone after it advised her that its water and wood characteristics would help her balance an abundance of fire and metal elements.
“It’s not about blindly following AI,” said Nabao. “If you are already inclined towards something, Deepseek’s suggestions will make you more likely to believe in it and take action.”
Another Beijing resident, Ma, said DeepSeek had correctly guessed the Chinese cities she liked, such as Beijing, and those she detested, such as Guangzhou. “I lived in Beijing for five years, and everything went smoothly there,” she said. “DeepSeek also said Guangzhou wasn’t a good fit for me, and that aligned perfectly with my experience — I visited once and never wanted to go back.”
Another Beijinger, who identified herself as LV, also said she bought bracelets on DeepSeek’s fortune-telling recommendation, wearing them to important events.
When DeepSeek suggested the 26-year-old art industry worker enhanced the water elements in her home to improve its feng shui, she bought a rowing machine that used water for resistance.
With my curiosity piqued, I decided to run my son’s BaZi horoscope on DeepSeek, asking questions about what job he would be suited to and whether he might one day have a tattoo (and what it might look like).
Most of the answers were generic, with possible careers ranging from academia to law or engineering. But DeepSeek did come up with a funky tattoo idea — a monkey surfing, apparently symbolising water submitting to fire.
Another possible tattoo might be cloud patterns, it said, symbolising “a life journey across borders” — apt for someone with mixed parentage and nationalities.
Interesting tattoo ideas notwithstanding, I will not be seeking DeepSeek’s counsel for my own future, especially given my scant knowledge of BaZi. But millions of Chinese will. That could give the platform even more influence over one of the world’s most fortune-seeking societies.
With additional reporting by Tina Hu and Nian Liu in Beijing
joseph.leahy@ft.com